Wired 25: The 25 Most Influential Business Deals In Hip-Hop

Nobody wants to be a sell-out in Hip-Hop. It’s almost a dirty word that can be a death blow if it sticks to you. However, there are times you have just got to get that paper. There are those rare occasions where big time companies tap a rapper for access to their “brand” and the synergy works like peanut butter and jelly. 

On this week’s Wired 25, we take a look at the endorsements and business deals that made an influence on the culture without selling out (which is always debatable). It’s more than just how many dollars you brought in at the end of the day, although that helps. What’s fascinating is how much these million and billion dollar companies lucked up by trusting a rapper to carry their brand.

From Nicki to Weezy and Hov to Yeezy, check it all out down below.

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Photo: GifSoup

25. MC Hammer – British Knights

Before he ran through 30 mil, MC Hammer’s face was on everything imaginable. Included in his numerous business ventures were his own trademark kicks for the now defunct, British Knights.

24. Jadakiss – Reebok

Jadakiss may not have had his own signature sneaker with Reebok, but his classic commercials with Allen Iverson brought the sneaker brand the cool factor that Nike had a vicegrip on.

23. Master P – Converse

Did anyone buy these sneakers? Not really. Did it give us an awesome verb to describe something horrifyingly ugly? You bet your high tops it did.

22. Ludacris – Pepsi

Although short lived, Ludacris’ campaign for Pepsi was met with a swift end courtesy of professional pr1ck, Bill O’ Reilly. It did spawn some great lines on the epic “Southern Fried Intro” off of Luda’s Chicken-n-Beer. 

21.Eminem – Lipton/Brisk

It is a pretty big deal to get a Superbowl commercial. Eminem had two in the same year. Slim Shady gets his Cool World on in this advertisement for Brisk.

20. Pharrell – HP

Apple’s been kicking PC’s A$$ when it comes to computers. However, a few years back the company threw some haymakers with the super cool “I’m a PC” commercials starring Pharrell Wililams and later on, Jay-Z.

19. Diddy – Proactiv

Are you trying to moisturize your situation and preserve your s*xy? Diddy’s commercial for Proactiv was one of the funniest and memorable commercials for the acne fighter.

18. Drake – Sprite

When Drake was the hottest new act out, he was racking up endorsement deals like this before he even dropped an album. How many times a day could you remember watching this commercial for the self-proclaimed “last name: Ever, first name: Greatest?”

17. Eminem – Chrysler

Eminem’s second Superbowl commercial was an epic ode to his struggling hometown city of Detroit. The Motor City needed a jump start for the struggling auto industry and Chrysler looked to the city’s biggest star for help.

16. Jay-Z – 2K Sports

Get used to seeing Jay-Z on this list a lot. The G.O.A.T. didn’t just slap his name on the most successful basketball game franchise of all time, he left his fingerprints all over the video game.

15. 50 Cent – Reebok

When 50 Cent was the hottest rapper in the game, people were literally clearing out the stores for anything with his name on it. G-Unit sneakers were no different. The brand gave him a reported $80 million reasons to hawk their kicks.

14. Drake – Blackberry/RIM

Drake, to this day, writes every single one of his raps on his Blackberry. He says that for some reason the buttons on the phone comfort him. RIM got a hold of that and tossed the Canadian a ton of money to endorse something he would’ve used anyway. That’s winning.

13. Jay-Z  – Budweiser

There goes that Jigga dude again. Budweiser and the Big Homie brought his first ever musical festival, Made In America, to Philadelphia during Labor Day weekend. The show brought together acts of all genres including Pearl Jam, Kanye West, Drake, Skrillex and tons more to create an east coast version of Coachella.

12. Nicki Minaj – MAC

Nicki Minaj rode high during the release of her debut album, Pink Friday, and it resulted in MAC Cosmetics giving the Queen of the Barbies her own line of lipsticks.

11. Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg – St. Ides

When you talk about classic Hip-Hop jingles, how can you forget about Nate Dogg and St. Ides? “Just came from the corner store, you know what I’m looking for. St Ides!”

10. Lil Wayne – Mountain Dew

Lil Wayne’s new found love for skateboarding and endorsement deal with Mountain Dew/Pepsi went hand in hand as they collaborated to create a skatepark in the hard hit Ninth Ward section of New Orleans.

9. Jay-Z – Duracell

After getting hit off with approximately $30 million, Duracell made him the face of their new Powermats. Jigga might have to tell Mobli to tuck their whole Summer in.

8. Nicki Minaj – Pepsi

Nicki Minaj, a heavy endorser for Pepsi, became a judge for American Idol, a show heavily sponsored by Coca-Cola. Bossy.

7. Swizz Beatz – Reebok

Reebok has always been rapper friendly, but they went all the way in when they gave a chunk of the company’s creative direction to Swizzy. Under his vision he’s snatched up Tyga and Rick Ross for marketing campaigns as well as re-introducing Allen Iverson to the public with his retro Reebok Questions.

6. Kanye West – Nike

The Yeezy’s may not have jumped over the Jumpman, but there is no doubt that Nike and Kanye’s partnership hs been a match made in heaven. The hard-to-find sneakers are usually seen on celebrities, athletes, and influencers hypebeasts alike.

5. Run DMC – Adidas

The guys who started it all for everyone on the list got it going with “My Adidas.” This song wasn’t just a hit record, it was the best commercial the company could ask for.

4. 50 Cent – vitaminwater/Coca-Cola

50 Cent took one investment and it probably  made him more money than his microphone. After the company was purchased from Coca Cola for $4.1 billion, it took 50 Cent’s 10% stock in the company and made him close to a half of a billion dollars. “I Get Money” is non-fiction, folks.

3. Jay-Z – New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets

Jigga’s stake in the Brooklyn Nets is less about equity and all about influence. As a minority owner of the team, he is the face of the franchise. If helping to open up the arena in his hometown wasn’t enough, the Barclays Center will also house one of his 40/40 clubs. Jigga was also influential in picking out the team’s colors and logo.

2. Diddy – Ciroc

Diddy took a little known vodka company and turned it into the official spirit of Hip-Hop. Diddy’s stake in Ciroc grew larger the more known he made the liquor, as he’s created his stable of “Ciroc Boys” as well as placing the vodka in damn near every music video on the planet. He told us 18 years ago he can’t stop and won’t stop. He wasn’t lying.

1. Dr. Dre – Monster Cable/HTC/Beats By Dre

Many have tried, but nobody is touching the headphone/audio game that Dr. Dre owns. After starting out with Monster Cable, the good doctor took his talents to HTC where the company invested nearly $300 Million in to the company. Dr. Dre and partner Jimmy Iovine now own a majority stake in the designer headphone company that keeps your favorite athletes, entertainers, producers and celebrities heads noddin.’